Vulcan Inc.

Vulcan Inc. is a nimble private company based in Seattle, Washington working to solve some of the biggest global issues. The projects and investments they pursue are inspired by the ideas of their founder Paul G. Allen and tethered to a simple principle; they use data to inform their efforts and seek out opportunities that can make a positive impact—and share what they learn.
Vulcan supports innovative approaches that can save endangered species, address climate change, improve ocean health, explore new frontiers, research how the human brain works and build sustainable communities. Brain science and basketball, community space and outer space, art and artificial intelligence—at Vulcan, they strive to answer big questions asked by their founder, and by the world. If they can understand the mysterious organ, the brain, they can pave the way towards understanding diseases like Alzheimer’s. If they can change the economics of space launches, they can change space travel and exploration. If they can get the formula right for a new kind of downtown neighborhood, it becomes a guide for the innovation centers of tomorrow.
With a local focus and a global reach, Vulcan’s programs, projects and initiatives bring together industry leaders collaborating across disciplines to discover and develop smart, data-driven solutions and create inspiring experiences that help them tackle some of the world’s toughest challenges.
People usually guess that their company was named after the extraterrestrial humanoid species from Star Trek, renowned for their logic and reason. As flattered as they are to be compared to the fantastical likes of the mind-melding Vulcans, their founders actually had something else in mind when they created Vulcan Inc.
Vulcan was the Roman god of fire. Tossed from the heavens as a child, he grew up as a strong-willed outsider and free thinker, indifferent to the whims of the gods. This independence fueled his approach as a smith and craftsman, helping him forge works that no one else thought were possible. When Paul Allen and Jody Allen first thought of creating a company whose mission was to find smart solutions for some of the world’s biggest challenges, the myth of Vulcan seemed fitting – and in 1986, Vulcan Inc. was formed.
With headquarters in Seattle, Washington, Vulcan oversees and manages a broad compilation of projects, investments and companies all over the world. They are that big umbrella company under which a host of signature Allen family entities fall under – like Vulcan Real Estate, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Flying Heritage Collection and the Seattle Seahawks, just to name a few. They are also constantly innovating in-house, serving as an incubator for fledgling technology, ambitious global campaigns and new philanthropic efforts.
Vulcan's approach is to discover and develop smart, data-driven solutions and create inspiring experiences that help tackle some of the world's toughest challenges.

Company Offices

Devex is the media platform for the global development community.

A social enterprise, we connect and inform 1,010,000+ development, health, humanitarian, and sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, and funding & career opportunities so you can do more good for more people. We invite you to join us.